The Ten Year Anniversary Drabble
by evilregalmadenotborn
Summary: Regina visiting Daniel's grave at the 10 year anniversary of his death.


**A/N: This is a Stable Queen drabble I wrote off a prompt I received: Regina visiting Daniel's grave at the 10 year anniversary of his death.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to Once Upon a Time. Credit goes to the writers/creators Eddy Kitsis and Adam Horowitz. **

The sun started to set on the horizon as Regina heaved herself out of her carriage and stared down at the ring her true love had given to her from his saddle long ago. It gleamed in this light. The deep purple and orange hues of the setting sun allowing it to have a light of its own. To Regina; however, it was his light, Daniel's, one of the only remaining totems that sent the happy memories of their love flooding back to her.

She could feel her skin tingling as she tried to remember his breath on her lips as his large calloused hands cupped her delicate face. And for a moment, she swore she could actually hear him sighing her name into her mouth.

"Daniel," she whispered back to it, hands clutching tighter to the ring in her hand, her nails stabbing into the palm of her hand.

With eyes closed, she took a few steps forward and before she knew it, she found herself in front of his body that she had kept preserved all these years. Ten years, in fact.

It was the ten-year anniversary of his death and Regina could barely bring herself to stay there. There was an odd back and forth that kept running through her mind. Part of her felt comfort in having him there. It gave her hope that she could find him alive again. However, another part of her found it eerie, the way his body lay there lifeless, the way only magic was preserving him. Exactly. Magic was preserving him, but why couldn't magic bring him back to life. She knew there would be consequences, but she had suffered enough consequences, hadn't she?

"I'm going to find a way," she whispered, finally allowing herself to take a good look at him.

She wasn't entirely certain what she meant by her words. Part of her wanted the hope that she would find a way to bring him back to life, but another part of her knew that if Rumplestiltskin wouldn't help her, there wasn't a whole lot she could do, and her mother had taken his heart and crushed so anything she left her wouldn't be much help either.

_Love is weakness. _

Her mother's words echoed in her head and dread filled her. Sheer loss of hope. It had been ten years and nothing had really changed. Snow White was still out there, living, and Daniel was the one dead. How could this be?

She could feel tears threatening to stream down her cheeks, but she wouldn't let them. She was the Queen now, the Evil Queen.

Yet it was funny how just seeing his body before her reduced her to childish girl who loved horses and wanted to be with her stable boy more than anything. She could feel the purest parts of her heart screaming, longing to be let out again- to let go of this royal agenda. Who was she fooling anyway?

And, in one last week attempt, Regina leaned over Daniel's body and gently pressed her lips against his.

_True love is magic. _

The words swirled in her head as a last hope as she imagined what could have been.

_In an instant, Daniel popped up, his chocolaty eyes locking with hers, a new vivaciousness about him. He pulled her close, resting his forehead against hers. _

_"I love you, Regina," he whispered, cupping her face in his hands. "And, I'm here for you now."_

_Regina smiled warmly, the first genuine smile in a long time, as she reveled in the sound of his voice. She loved the way he said her name. In fact, she loved hearing her name without being attached to a royal title or the word 'evil'. She was just...Regina. It was all she ever wanted._

_Then, in the heat of the reunion, he pressed his lips against hers and she felt a shiver go down her spine. _

And, with that shiver, Regina was jolted back to the reality of his cold body and that he wasn't going to come back. He would never tell her he loved her ever again. He would never even say her name again.

"We'll get her, Daniel," she spat through grit teeth as she pulled away from his body and twirled the ring in her hand once more.


End file.
